Denim Day- April 23rd
Denim Day in Compton – hosted by YWCA Greater Los Angeles and Mayor Aja Brown Denim Day is a public education campaign designed to protest rape and attitudes that excuse sexual assault. National Denim Day started in 2005 to focus on community awareness on the devastating effects of sexual violence and how to prevent it. EVERYONE IS ENCOURAGED TO WEAR JEANS ON WEDNESDAY, APRIL 23, 2014 This is a symbol of protest of harmful attitudes about rape in response to an Italian Supreme Court decision to overturn a rape conviction because the victim wore jeans. The justices reasoned that the victim must have helped her attacker remover her jeans, which they felt implied consent. We do not believe that consent can be implied. YWCA 310-763-9995 877-943-5778
Denim Day is a campaign to prevent sexual violence through education and public awareness. April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and Denim Day is a call to action for all people to come together by wearing denim as a visible sign of protest against sexual violence. By participating in Denim Day this April, you can play a role in the prevention of sexual violence. Every year we ask community members, elected officials, businesses and students to make a social statement with their fashion and on April 24th to wear jeans as a visible means of protest against misconceptions that surround sexual assault.
Why denim? Denim Day has been internationally celebrated since 1999 in protest of an Italian Supreme Court ruling that overturned a rape conviction because the victim was wearing jeans.In 1992, an 18-year-old girl in Italy was raped by her driving instructor during a driving lesson. He was convicted, but in 1999, the Court overturned the verdict on the premise that “because the victim wore very, very tight jeans, she had to help him remove them, and by removing the jeans it was no longer rape but consensual sex.”
Women of the Italian Legislature protested the decision by wearing jeans to work. As news of the decision spread, so did the protest. In April 1999, a social service agency in Los Angeles established the first Denim Day in the United States.
DVSAC carries on this tradition. We wear denim to dispel harmful myths about sexual violence and survivors.
We invite your workplace or school to join us! Raise awareness of sexual violence and funds to help survivors by inviting employees to donate $5 to DVSAC for the chance to wear jeans for a day. Or contact us for Denim Day stickers that you can wear any time. All donations raised will fund DVSAC to offer resources to victims and survivors of sexual assault in Nevada County.
Donations can be sent to: DVSAC, PO Box 484, Grass Valley, CA 95945. If you have any questions, contact us at 530.272.2046.
Thank you for your commitment to services for survivors of sexual violence!
When you participate in Denim Day you:
1. Make it possible for more sexual assault survivors to reach out and find help.
2. Promote prevention through education so sexual violence doesn’t occur.
3. Encourage institutional and societal change.
4. Make a powerful statement without ever saying a word.
